RESTORATION OF REGENERATIVE ECOSYSTEMS PROJECT INCEPTION MEETING WITH STUDENTS AND STAFFS OF SEMULIKI HIGH SCHOOL  UNLEASHES SOCIO-CLIMATE ENTHUSIASM AMONG STUDENTS, STAFF AND THE COMMUNITY IN BUNDIBUGYO DISTRICT

The Restoration of Regenerative Ecosystems is an eight months project that started in December 2025, the implement a Restoration for Regenerative Ecosystems (RESTORE) Bamboo Project in Semuliki High School, Bupompoli Primary School, Bundikuyali Primary School and Kisubba primary school with two community nursaries established at Semuliki high school and Bubomboli II catholic church in Harugale and Kisubba sub counties respectively. A model bringing to earth a practical collaboration between community women groups, students, school leadership and PEACE Foundation team into joint action against climate change effects and causes as pathways to mitigation, resilience, adaptation and transition from climate change related disaster risks.  The purpose of this ice breaking event with schools was to create awareness to the students, staffs and the community around about the ongoing project citing key stakeholder roles and responsibilities to the project in juxtaposition with the students’ expectations and aspirations. As a stepping ton to a cotemporally paradigm shift, the school leadership, management and administration appreciated the intervention, noting that the project will boost and foster the government new curriculum of teaching and learning where by students are assessed on their participation in projects. The school adopted the PEACE Foundation project as one of the major projects in which students will be assessed and graded on. Mugerwa Mugisha Fred (the Chief Executive Director and founder PEACE Foundation) explained the goal of this project is “to contribute to improved natural resources and sustainable ecosystems for improved livelihoods in Bundibugyo district and surrounding communities through Bamboo growing for sustainable management of natural resources, sustainable livelihoods and information sharing on value chain development” under two main objectives bellow; 

Objective 1: 1,512 households, 4 schools affected by floods, landslides and communities neighboring the mountain slops of Mt. Rwenzori and its flowing river banks effectively adopt bamboo farming to conserve, protect and promote natural resources protection and to improve their future livelihoods by December 2026.

Objective 2: 21 Community Awareness and dialogues sessions conducted each targeting 71 individual community members. The awareness and dialogues sessions will focus on bamboo growing for environmental, social and economic benefits. The schools are requesting PEACE Foundation and its’ partners for other tree species seeds especially for wood energy/firewood which the school spends on a lot.  The school administration believes that PEACE Foundation intervention in the school will empower and foster a new and green thinking mindset among the students and the community around which will save the school and the community from cooking energy stress. The intervention will thence facilitate better understand of the project, deepen mindset change and increase awareness about the project, climate and foster adaptation to climate change and empower students and community participation in disaster risk reduction. PEACE Foundation conducted inception meetings engaging stakeholders at different levels. Implicit in this has been mobilization of individual as well as collective responsivity among the different stakeholders in the district for a more resilient future.